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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763304">threads leading to you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daintyblues/pseuds/daintyblues'>daintyblues</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Riverdale (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark, Demons, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Healers, Minor Original Character(s), Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Protective Archie Andrews, Red String of Fate, Riverdale, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Supernatural Elements, Tragedy/Comedy, Violence, Yandere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:47:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daintyblues/pseuds/daintyblues</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Betty had been living day to day life as a struggling journalist before she’d been dropped into the fantasy world of a novel.</p><p> <br/>Cast as the main protagonist, Betty gains the ability to heal others by seeing “red threads.”<br/> </p><p>She’d planned on keeping quiet and planning a way to get back to Riverdale, but things hadn’t gone as expected.</p><p> </p><p>After accidentally healing the main villain, Jughead Jones, she’d changed the entire plot.</p><p> </p><p>Real dark — no stars. Be prepared.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Wrist to Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello!</p><p>this came to mind to me last night and i was thinking.. hey, this would be an interesting series to write about. again i know this the 9000000000000th series I’ve made but whatever LMAO just ignore me at this point.</p><p>(au based off Beware of The Red Thread before anyone slanders me) </p><p>YES, this is a yandere. what’s a yandere you might ask? here’s google’s definition:</p><p>“Yandere (ヤンデレ) is a Japanese term for a person who is initially very loving and gentle to someone (or at least innocent) before their devotion becomes destructive in nature, often through violence and/or brutality.”</p><p>to elaborate, basically a yandere man is someone who loves his partner so deeply that NO length is too far for him (aka he’s a little crazy)</p><p>(no violence is usually directed towards the main love interest, betty)</p><p>keep in mind, i am not JUSTIFYING this behavior. i’m simply writing a fan fiction about it. </p><p>if this is not your cup of tea, please don’t hate and simply scroll past :)</p><p>&lt;3 enjoy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Red threads.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Red threads are the connection between life or death. Invisible to the naked, normal eye, most people aren’t able to see the invisible lifelines. The more red threads are connected to someone, the more their chance of death heightens. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">That’s why, when people are badly hurt or need assistance with a disease, they head straight to the temple of Misphia. Housed in the temple was the notorious healer, Betty Cooper. Her name was known throughout the land as a kind, generous woman who soothed the pain.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Many people traveled from across vast lands to get to Betty Cooper, interested in allowing her to heal their illness or injured body. Usually, the blonde healer kept to herself in the temple, located in the kingdom of Bardor. She rarely left and spent her days healing the people who traveled to see her.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Yet, she hadn’t spent her entire life as a healer, unknown to everyone but Betty Cooper herself. In fact, she wasn’t native to whatever world she’d dropped into. Her arrival was a simple one. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">…</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">After a long day of work, Betty headed towards the library to pick out something to read. She could really use something to distract herself. Life as a journalist hadn’t been as exciting as she once thought it to be. Work just seemed to pile up and up.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Scrolling through an unknown selection, she plucked a book from one of the worn-out shelves with mild interest.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Red Thread’s Price.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">It wasn’t a title she’d heard of before. The cover was plain, the only thing besides the words being the dull blue background behind it. When she opened it, it felt like the pages were glowing. It was a difference from the exterior, that was for sure.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Settling into a comfortable bean bag, she dug into the book eagerly. Each page left her on the hook. Betty barely noticed as the time ticked by. It wasn’t long before the night started to seep in, which meant the library would begin closing soon. Determined to finish the book, the journalist checked it out quickly before heading home.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Her determination was short-lived— considering how fast she flopped on her bedroom bed when she arrived at her apartment. In a moment’s time, she’d fallen into a deep slumber, curled around a body pillow.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">When she opened her eyes, preparing for the next day, she hadn’t been awoken by a buzzing alarm. Instead, the figure waking her up was no human. Instead, it was a winged chimera. She’d read about the two-headed lion-goat in that book, but what the hell was a chimera doing in her apartment?</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Springing up, she shrieked and put two hands up in self-defense. In response, the chimera only gave her a look of alarm. Two paws taking a step back, the mythical creature quirked its head. “Lady Cooper? Are you not feeling well?” </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Now that she had gotten up, she realized she wasn’t in her apartment at all. Instead, she was in the exact room described in that book she’d read last night. It was one of bright yellows and pastel colors, multiple plants flourishing around the room. This wasn’t her apartment. No, this was the main protagonist’s room, Elie. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Looking back down at the chimera, she gulped once she got a good look at the creature. Having two heads was enough, but the tail also produced a scaled snake. It hissed at her, beady eyes narrowing. The chimera in front of her was no child. “L-Lady Cooper?” She stammered.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Again, the Deja vú was coming full circle. This chimera was Casper, the main protagonist’s makeshift butler at her stay in the temple. The more the blonde thought about her surroundings, the more everything made sense. It was like she’d been dropped into the mythical world of the red thread. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty Cooper had been thrust into <em>The Red Thread’s Price.</em></span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1"> <em>…</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Already knowing the plot of the book, she’d settled in more nicely once Betty had been able to calm down. Casper had acknowledged her outburst that fateful morning as nothing else but a “daytime scare.” </span>
</p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She still wasn’t sure what he meant by that.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The formal journalist had quickly learned how to help the people with threads tightly tied to them. Since she was the only one who could see them, her presence was in high demand. At first, she’d been shocked by the sheer number of mythical creatures that she’d seen, but after a while, her surprise died down.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The only cost of her services was not from her clients but from her. Every time she pulled a red thread, she felt the pain herself. She could feel every drop of blood, every cut, every bruise, and every swell. Betty tried not to take breaks too often, but sometimes she needed to take a physical pause before continuing. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">It’d been about four months since she’d settled into her new lifestyle. She’d spent the entire time planning on how she’d leave and instead get back to her original reality, back at Riverdale, her hometown. Nothing exactly came to mind, though. How was she supposed to get out of a fantasy world? How’d she even get here in the first place?</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You almost done there?”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Startled by the voice, Betty turned around. It was the temple’s head priest, who was a monster that was both a crab and an octopus. This was one of the creatures that she’d never gotten accustomed to. His face was so gnarly that it frightened her every time. He made <em>sure</em> that she called him Herald instead of Sir Herald when they’d first ‘met.’ “Yeah. I was just about to go into town.”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Walking on crab legs, Herald moved closer to her and gave her one of his grins. He was an older monster with already rotting teeth, but the effort was clearly there. “Shall I send Casper to escort you? Or perhaps one of the guards?”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Raising a hand in protest, the healer shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. Mainly, I just want some fresh air and some time alone for myself.” The day’s work had been harder than most other days. If she went into town, she could maybe buy something sweet to cheer her up. She did love herself a crêpe.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Herald shrugged. “If you say so. Make sure to wear your cloak so nobody recognizes you. Once you’re done, head straight home, alright? I’m going to close up around here.” With that said, the octopus-crab creature began making his way over to a group of jabbering guards to scold them.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Sighing, Betty picked herself up and took her cloak from the neat pile she’d created next to her belongings. There was a specific room she used for healing, which was the one she was currently stationed in. It felt like she worked better when she was in this room. Betty had affectionately nicknamed it “The Zoi,” which meant life in Greek.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Slinging the cloak around her shoulders and pulling the hood over her head, the healer tucked her purse onto her shoulder before starting to make her way out of the temple. She had no trouble getting past the guards, who immediately recognized her small frame weaving her way through them.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The walk to town wasn’t very far. The healer came to this specific town-square often. It was partly because that was one of the few places she was allowed to go without supervision, but also because Betty liked to see all the colorful lights of the area. It reminded her of home before she’d been dropped into a book. The former journalist might’ve complained about Riverdale quite a bit while she lived there, but being away from it certainly made her homesick. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Making her way through crowds stealthily, she started to walk more normally once the clusters of people eased up. Feeling a tingling at her wrist, she rubbed at it to get the itch to go away. When it didn’t seem to be going anywhere, her eyes peered down to the spot. Eyes widening, they found a red thread connected to her wrist.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1"> <em>.. a thread.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Horror filled her as she continued to rub it, but it didn’t come apart. On a regular basis, to get rid of a red thread, one needed to rub the surface it was located on. However, this technique was not working. The most terrifying part of it all that it was leading her somewhere. Every other moment the red thread gently tugged her to the left.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She’d never had a red thread connected to her before. Betty never wanted to have one. It just meant you were closer to death than you already were. In the book, Elie had never had a red thread connected to her. Why did she have one then? </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Ever persistent, she eventually started to follow the tugging. If she wanted to get rid of the thread, she’d have to find where this tugging was coming from anyway. Perhaps this was just a misunderstanding. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Picking up her pace, she started jogging to where the red thread was leading her. It was a long stretch, the blonde having to move through different store booths and large crowds of people. Soon, she felt the thread starting to get shorter. Stopping in front of a dimly lit forest outside of the town-square, Betty stared at the daunting wilderness. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The healer could see the red thread leading her into it, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t weary. Why did she have a purposeless string attached to something in the forest? Whatever it was, she’d quickly head in there, break her thread, and then run back out. There was no other thing she could do, anyway.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Gathering her resolve, she plunged straight into the forest, weaving through bushes and trees. Careful not to trip on any roots, her feet skillfully dodged large branches and upturned earth. The farther she ran, the more her mind started to twirl. It was like the thread never ended.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She stopped dead in her tracks once she heard a small groan, almost tripping on her own feet as she did so. It was one of pain, one that was unfamiliar to her. Looking around, she cast her gaze deeper in front of her. Betty could see the red thread stopping at a specific tree, guarded by large bushes that blocked her vision of what was behind it. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Sprinting over to the tree, she almost stumbled over a body laid out across the path. Recoiling in panic, her pupils dilated. Below her was a man absolutely covered in red threads. His body was wrapped like a blanket in the strings. Blood soaked his clothes, seeping all the way down to his legs. His features were screwed up in pain, shirt ripped open. This man was no monster— he was.. beautiful, even covered in his own crimson.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“How do you have so many red threads?” She whispered, watching as he made incoherent noises of pain. Why did he look oddly familiar? Raven curls adorned his face, his body lean and muscular. He couldn’t be above twenty-five by his youthful appearance. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Falling to her knees, she put a hand on his forehead and found it blazing hot. Eyes casting downwards towards her wrist, she found that the thread leads directly to him. This was where her red thread ended? Why? Did it mean she’d die along with this man?</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">If she was going to be practical with herself, she knew it wasn't simple removing the threads. Though she'd never willingly admitted it, Betty could still feel the agitation of every sword slice, every pinprick, every poisonous dart, and every stab would. Yet, Betty knew one thing among all. If she'd been graced with healing abilities like this, it'd been for a reason, which meant she couldn't bring herself to turn Jughead down.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Grumbling, a hand came from his side to snatch her wrist. Holding it tightly in his hand, the man squeezed it. The sudden touch called her body to tense. If he didn’t let go, she wouldn’t be able to heal him. “H-Hey, let go. Seriously. I’m going to try and help you.”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">His response was a painful squeeze to her wrist before he reluctantly let it go. His eyes, which had been clenched shut, opened in front of her. There was a bright, aqua blue that forced her to have a double-take. The look in his eyes was vulnerable, pleading. She automatically recognized his eyes from how they’d been described in the novel. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">This was Jughead Jones, the book’s main villain. He was a half-immortal demon who ruled the dark depths of the dead, constantly seeking more power. Jughead Jones was supposed to be the number one enemy, the man that ultimately ended up killing the main protagonist in the end.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Elie and Jughead had never met until he’d actually killed her. What did <em>this</em> mean then? Betty knew about the demise of Elie, but the healer hadn’t actually given thought to how Elie’s expiration would end up being her own. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She shivered at the thought. Betty, before, had no intention of changing the plot’s storyline. Her main conclusion had been that if the protagonist died, then she could return to her own reality. Yet, for some reason, the thought of it began to unsettle her. Here, the man that was silently begging her to revive him was also the same man who was to behead her?</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Shaking her head, the former journalist bent down. What she really needed to do was focus on these threads. Sweat grazed her skin as she plucked away each red strand, painfully wincing as she felt each flick of pain. Betty didn’t have any time to fool around. After he survived, she’d think about the reparations. She needed to heal him before something worse happened. The healer knew he was only half immortal, which meant he could still possibly die.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1"> <em>Push. Pull. Pluck.</em> </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty followed this pattern as she picked away each red thread. The healer didn’t know how long it took, but by the time she was done, the former journalist was exhausted. The only thread that she hadn’t been able to take away was the one connected to her wrist. Instead of the thread connecting to his hand, it stemmed straight from his heart.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“I’ve got to get back to the temple. They’re gonna kill me..” She muttered to herself, backing away from his body. Betty didn’t know if she’d changed the course of the story, but it would have been incredibly inhumane for her to leave him in the condition he’d been in.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">In the novel, he’d constantly been described as a cruel, bloodthirsty demon. That was nothing like what was laid out in front of her. Instead of the savage lord illustrated, he was a helpless sheep in a slaughterhouse. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Hand coming out to grab her wrist again, this time his grip was firmer and more hesitant to let go. “Don’t g-go.” He coughed, his voice hoarse as he tugged Betty closer to him. Jughead wheezed, his other hand shakily coming up to wipe the sweat off his forehead.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Shaking her head, she took a hold of his own wrist. “I did you a favor. We never met, okay? I’m gonna go. You should be okay after this, don’t worry. I removed all your strands. Just.. let go of me.”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She hadn’t meant to mention the red threads.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Jughead’s fingers tightened around her, obviously unmoving. His other hand came up, trapping both of her hands in his. “No.” He said sternly, eyes coming to meet hers. Squeezing tightly, he grasped the woman’s hand and yanked her forward. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Without any way to balance herself, she fell straight into his chest, head colliding with the still soiled skin. Both annoyance and shock bubbled in her stomach at the action. He let go of her wrist momentarily, but not before he instead used his hands to wrap around either side of her body and bring the healer close to him. “If you leav-leave, I’ll track you down. Sleep here with me.” He commanded, voice gravely and still hoarse.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Horrified, she stood perfectly still. It’d been a mistake to spare his life. This definitely hadn’t happened in the book. Would he behead her before the climax of the story? Was she putting an end to her life after barely four months? </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Jughead moved his head to rest on hers, leaning it up against the tree behind him. Once she was securely tucked onto him, he allowed his eyes to close. Either arm around her was unbudging, at least when he was awake. The only reason Betty wasn’t lashing out and clawing out his eyes was that she knew what Jughead Jones was capable of. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">He was the Reaper. He tore souls from the living and brought them under, where he harvested them for his own benefit. If he was infuriated enough, he’d even morph into a real demon. Known as one of the most deadly warriors, the only person that had been able to kill him was the male lead in the novel, Archie Andrews. He’d been Jughead’s loyal companion until the reaper went insane after killing Elie and attempted to murder Archie.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Yet, after reading all that in the book, the reaper was nothing like described. While his grip on her was unbudging, he wasn’t actually trying to harm her. The author had made him out to be a person that would take the life of someone that even saved his own.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty would just have to make a run for it once he finally fell asleep.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">He must still be sore, but he didn’t seem to mind. Pressed up against him, she could smell the copper scent of dried blood across his body. It wasn’t a pleasant musk. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Surprisingly, his chest was warm against her and so were his arms. For some reason, when she envisioned the villain, Betty had expected him to have freezing skin. It was quite the opposite. His eyes weren’t evil, either. If anything, they reminded her more of a tortured angel. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">His breathing started to become more and more relaxed the longer he allowed sleep to consume him. The entire time, she laid unmoving on him. Her best move was to remove his arms first and then crawl away. Then, once she was sure that she had no physical contact left, she’d make a break back towards the town.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The minor amount of time it took for him to fall asleep could’ve been considered embarrassing. It took a total of maybe forty-five seconds before she felt his entire body relax and his labored breathing ease. The duration might’ve been an exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like to Betty.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Careful, the healer began to execute her plan. Taking one hand, she gently started to pry away the first arm. Her first attempt was successful, but she still had a second one. Slowly, she took the second arm and began to remove it. However, soon, she was back at where she started when both arms resumed their original position and squashed her. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Looking up to make sure he was still asleep, she repeated the process. This time, she was successful in both attempts. The second step necessary was to get off his body without waking him up. This would be the most difficult part, at least in Betty’s opinion. She’d do it quick and fast, like ripping off a bandaid.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Crawling off him slowly for a second, she suddenly rolled over, landing onto the hard forest floor beneath her. Leaves cracked under her weight, making quite a stir, but she paid no mind. </span>
</p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p4"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">She quickly got to her feet and bolted from the area, leaving nothing behind her as she subconsciously slipped her hood back over her head. Betty didn’t look back to see if he’d awoken. The healer wasn’t sure if she could bear to see those eyes again. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty felt safe once she was back in the town’s crowds. She’d escaped, but he promised that he’d find her again. It would be impossible. There was no way he could know where she was, anyway. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">That had been a close one.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Who would be her villain now? Did he want to kill her even more now for leaving his side? In the book, Jughead had wanted to kill the main protagonist because she refused to make him immortal. He succeeded in his plan to assassinate her, but before he did so, he’d never actually met Elie. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Had she changed the plot?</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p5"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s5">✦❘</span> <span class="s6">༻༺</span> <span class="s7">❘</span> <span class="s5">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“Lady Cooper, please halt. You have a guest here to see you in the gardens.” Casper chirped from the side of her bed, reaching over to put a paw on her head. Making sure his claws were sheathed, he rubbed at her blonde locks. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The movement of his paw on her head had never annoyed her. Since she’d been here for the past four months, he’d gotten much bigger. His paws were now at least the size of her entire head. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty had taken a day off from her regular patients to relax from yesterday. She’d been able to get home safely without too much scolding, but Jughead’s red threads had drained her more than usual. Maybe it was because he had <em>so many, </em>but something told her it was different. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Mostly, guests were people of an emergency. She didn’t mind treating someone who was in desperate need— she’d do that regardless of her own condition. That’s what she had to do as a healer. After finishing brushing her hair and shrugging off the paw, she nodded to Casper. “Of course. Who might it be?”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">As she awaited an answer, she looked down at the half-transparent red thread still hanging from her wrist. It hadn’t disappeared overnight.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Watching her stand up and head towards her bedroom door, the chimera followed her through the door. “Well, I’m not exactly sure, Lady Cooper. Travis sent me as a messenger to fetch you. Something about a handsome devil, if I recall correctly."</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty, who had already started walking down the hallway, paused. She knew exactly who Casper was talking about. This was that ridiculous demon she’d treated yesterday from the <em>kindness</em> of her heart. Yet, he was requesting her presence so he could just kill her? He’d earn a piece of <em>her</em> mind.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Quickening her pace, she passed Casper and made a break towards the exit doors of the temple. This could have been someone else, perhaps another male love interest in the book, but she highly doubted it. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty’s heart pounded as she exited, padded feet moving through the soft grass. Her eyes searched around the abundant gardens, looking around every tree and bush to find her guest. The temple was truly beautiful, the gardens making it look even more lavish than it was.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The healer’s feet stopped her once she saw a dark-haired demon in the distance, running his palm over the bark of a blooming, thick conifer. He was no more than a couple feet away from her, so when Jughead turned around, she froze. Betty was reminded again of the aqua eyes she’d seen last night.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Hand dropping from the tree, he took a step towards her. “Mysterious Juliet, we meet again.” He asked, peering down at her with interest. One of the corners of his lips was turned up ever-so-slightly, tilting his head moderately. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Betty felt herself start to falter. “I don't really think.."</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Jughead’s mouth curled up into a faint smile. “If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who came to my rescue last night,” He responded smoothly, the look in his eyes reminding her of last night. His body was almost glowing compared to his condition yesterday. All of the wounds on his body were completely healed, and he looked healthy as ever. “Nobody told me that such a great healer was here. Maybe that's because you're not supposed to be, but we'll ignore that. Just a little scandalous, hm?"</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Feeling a bead of sweat run down the side of her face, she attempted to pretend like she hadn’t an idea. “Uh, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Without another moment’s hesitation, Jughead pulled a luminescent blade from behind him. The sound of its material rang in the air as he moved it in front of him. The razor was shimmering, the light blue color catching the bright light above.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">The blonde nearly screamed, snapping her eyes shut. She was going to die. Jughead was going to murder her earlier than expected because he felt like it. Was her seriously about to kill her?! She'd been the one who kept <em>his</em> sorry ass from <em>dying!</em></span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Even so, the sound of cutting flesh hadn’t been on her own. Instead, when her eyes shot open, she could see that Jughead had unbuttoned his shirt and cut down the middle of his chest. Blood oozed from the wound, dripping down his chest and onto his pants below. Betty’s eyes saw the red threads coming from his chest the longer he allowed the cut to bleed. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">He was planning a murder-suicide. They would both be dying.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Seizing her hand from her side, he grabbed it and placed the palm flat onto his bleeding gash. In only a couple seconds, the blood began to dry up and the injury closed. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Looking down at the healing process, his eyes came back up to hers. “I stand correct. You do posses healing abilities.” Letting go of her hand, he instead took a hold of her waist, bringing her closer to him.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">“You,” He secured one hand around her waist before adding another to balance her. <em>“You’re coming with me.”</em></span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kako and Kalos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey loves</p><p>it’s meeeee.</p><p>guess who made moodboards for the characters?</p><p>yes, me, your favorite ao3 author. (lol jk………)</p><p>they’re below :)</p><p>also another thing is that this isn’t going to be a huge slowburn or anything, but like i said their relationship isn’t exactly.. normal. i would say it’s toxic lol. but who doesn’t love a little spice.. haha… hmmm..</p><p>short chap?</p><p>anyway I’m pretty sure i had something else to say but i forgot so.. peace?</p><p> </p><p>━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">moodboards:</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">According to the novel, technically the worlds were split into two, cliche enough.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">To put it in simple terms, there were the lighter lands and the darker lands. Located in each land were small kingdoms that made up the territory. However, it wasn’t always like that. In the past, the two lands lived in complete harmony and dark mixed with the light. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Greed was the deciding factor in whether they would have continued to live peacefully. Each king that ruled wanted to take over the other’s subjects. Likewise, war broke out. Enough bloodshed happened for either side to call it quits, but there was constantly a boiling tension between the two.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As of now, if she remembered correctly, dark subjects were not allowed to mingle with light subjects. There was no traveling between lands and certainly no interaction. Dark subjects usually consisted of monsters or “evil” supernatural. Witches, demons, werewolves, vampires, and such were kept in Kako, the dark land’s official name.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Long story short, she was not supposed to be in Kako. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">On the other side, Kalos, was where the light resided. Healers such as herself, angels, fairies, fauns, muses, and many more species. The original leader of Kalos who’d been involved in the war was no longer alive, leaving it to the newest leader Malachi. In the book, the plot had been mainly focused on Elie and her venture to stay alive. Betty hadn’t been able to read if anything ever happened between Kalos and Kako.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Malachi had been more of a side character if anything else. He was mainly introduced to round the story well and provide a king for Kalos, but he was never discussed afterward. She remembered that he did have a right-hand man, Bret Weston Wallis, but that was about it. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Now, standing in front of her, was Jughead, holding her by the waist. She wondered that since he hadn’t killed her, that meant that the storyline would change entirely. Would she get a glimpse at something that hadn’t exactly happened in the book?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">Nevertheless, Betty couldn't have been more annoyed by the <em>audacity</em> this man possessed. She'd just met him, and he was telling her than he was taking her away?! </p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ripping herself away from his grasp, she took a step back. “Slow down there. I've been living pretty nicely in Bardor for just about my entire life. I am not about to be taken from my temple!” Betty burst, putting a hand on her chest to emphasize her point. Fearing the worst, she didn’t give him a chance to respond before she turned away, making a run for it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">There was no way she was allowing her fate to be set on someone who was supposedly setting his own death sentence. </p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Slipping herself back in through the exit doors of the temple, she rounded a corner and leaned against one of the nearby walls. Heaving, she slightly bent down. Talking to herself, she started to mutter. “What in the living hell.. Scratch that, if I keep saying that he's actually going to take me there. I can't believe I'm going to my deathbed along with him!” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d been hiding here in the temple of Misphia for quite some time if you counted four months as a lot. Her dream was to return home safely once everything else played out without her presence, or Jughead had finally filled her duty to kill her. “What I really need is for him to just leave me alone. Why couldn't I have just ignored him last night?"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Casually leaning against the wall behind her, Jughead listened to her antics with mild amusement. He didn’t know what she was talking about, but she was worrying herself a storm over it. It was quite entertaining. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Falling to the floor with a loud thump, Betty let out a small whimper and touched the part of her head that’d made contact with the title floors beneath her. She could hear Casper and another priest, Travis, start running over to her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Lady Cooper!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Betty, you took quite a fall there. Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Before they got a chance to get close to her, Jughead swooped in, standing in front of her. Spear in front of him, he guarded her with the weapon. Eyes narrowing, he flipped the spear so the razor pointed straight towards the two monsters.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">If she'd been counting the number of accidents she'd gotten herself into, it might've summed up to a multi-digit number. It was if someone had cursed or something. She wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, either. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She’d almost been hit by an especially strong wind, native to Kako, that probably would’ve thrown her across the temple if it hadn’t been for Jughead who’s scooped her up and whisked her out of harm’s way.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">That wasn’t the only incident. She’d had about a thousand of them before and after the wind accident. Somehow, he’d always been there to “save” her. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Betty had been carefully going down the stairs after talking to Herald when she’d miraculously missed a step. About to cascade down the flight, a hand came to grasp her wrist, hoisting her back up to her feet. Letting go of her hand, warmth came to the dent of her back when an arm came around it.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It only took one glance to know who had stopped her fall. It was the raven-haired demon that didn’t seem to know what personal space was. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Putting one hand against his chest and yanking her body away from his, she took a couple of steps down the stairs and held onto the railing. Looking back up at him, her eyes squinted. “Can you explain to me what you're still doing at the temple? Maybe add on to why I'm suddenly almost dying every five seconds? Did you do this?” The blonde demanded, eyebrows furrowed.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking confused, the demon looked both ways before looking down at the former journalist. “Little old me? I didn't do a thing,” He asked, but it didn’t seem to be a very pressing subject to him. Leaning back down, he took a step towards her and leaned his face closer to hers. “Besides, when I see you in danger, my gut tells me to protect you. It's instinct. What do you expect me to do?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The only thing that followed his question was silence. Betty could feel her face start to tint, but the moment didn’t last long before he leaned away.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Two hands coming towards his shirt, he ripped open the fabric. Blue, linen material torn and revealed his chest and abdomen. “Anyway, take a look at this."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Putting a hand to her chin, she looked at their exposed skin in front of her. He certainly had a toned body. Betty wondered how villain characters in books had time to work out so much. There was never any explanation. Yet, it was certainly appealing to look at. “I see you work out," she commented, and then raised her hand to begin softly clapping. "Kudos to you, my friend."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Irked, he ignored her and instead began patting his chest, specifically the middle section. “Not even twenty-four hours ago, my chest was split right here. It's healed to perfection now,” In an instant, he moved closer to her, hovering his face above hers. “Care to explain?” The lord pressured.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His sudden proximity brought her nerves to her chest. Not meeting his eyes, her eyes stayed glued to the healed spot on his chest. It was true. There wasn’t even a scar to prove he’d even been touched there last night. “I-I mean, I thought you knew I was a healer..”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His aqua eyes looked judgmental as he looked her over. “Huh. Healer.” Pulling away, he allowed her some sort of distance between him. “Here's the problem, blondie. You're unique. Any of the priests some of my army members smuggled over here weren't even close to your abilities,” Every priest in Kako was not of the best quality since they weren’t <em>supposed</em> to be there. Priests and healers were strictly native to Kalos. “..but when you came along, it was like-"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Slapping a hand over his mouth, her eyes widened. “Don't get ahead of yourself!” Pulling her hand away, she dropped it to her side and instead looked down, closing her eyes momentarily. She could feel crimson blooming onto her face. “Look demonboy, you should just get out of here. I can't offer you anything else.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tongue running over his front teeth, Jughead made quick work of pushing her against the wall, caging her between either of his arms. Her only escape route would have been to duck under his arms, but he made it clear that she was staying where she was. <em>Demonboy.</em> He almost had to laugh. She'd learn who was to be respected around here. Ignoring her earlier response, he bombarded her with more questions.  "You talked about some red thread last night. Explain, or else."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At a loss of words from his actions and words, she began to fumble. “Uhm.. that’s..” Did she really say that? The last thing she needed was anyone knowing that she wasn’t the real protagonist that was supposed to be here. One could consider her an imposter, but it wasn’t like she asked to be transported here.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Pulling back, he used his right hand to grasp her wrist in a death grip. “You're so difficult sometimes. Whatever your answer may be, you're coming with me,” He finalized, tugging her up the stairs she’d originally been walking down. “When you're with me, you don't have to bother with your duties anymore. You'll be focused all on <em>me."</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Betty’s mind was whirling. She was not about to be dragged away by the reaper. Would he take her soul and then feed her to the hellhounds for a midnight snack?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I-I actually have a contract.. T-That’s right! I have a lifetime contract! So, I can’t leave this temple!” The healer blurted mid-step, feeling a shiver go through her as he halted.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Looking back towards her with a smile, he tilted his head to the side. “Contract? How fun. I'll go resolve that for you, don't you worry Juliet.” He responded nonchalantly, as if her ‘contract’ had been nothing but a mere nuisance.</span>
</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Couldn’t they have picked anyone else for her to meet before <em>this </em>lunatic?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jughead’s footsteps were loud, echoing around the conference room located in the temple. On the other side of the table was Herald, trembling as he stared at the demon in front of him. It seemed that everyone seemed to know who Jughead was around her. Betty had obviously just been too dumb enough to notice. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Putting his shoe up against the table, he gave an expectant look to the crab-octopus creature. For whatever reason, Jughead had decided to showcase his large, rich wings for extra effect. He didn’t need them in the slightest to intimidate the temple members, but he seemed to find it amusing. “Hey, priest. This human is now mine. Got anything to say about it?” After thinking for a moment, Jughead waved his hand. “Wait. I'll pay for her. What do you want?"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Too frightened to say anything else, Herald shook in his seat. “H-How could I..” Shaking himself from his stammer, the head priest gulped. “You can ta-take her. Go ahead. Take whoever and whatever you want, my lord.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Turning back towards Betty with a grin, the demon looked triumphant. “Aren't you lucky, blondie?” Taking multiple steps towards the healer, he took her arm in a vice grip, fingers digging into her skin as he began to drag her away. “We're leaving now, human."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Priest, I healed your people, remember? You are a traitor. Good luck if you get hurt anytime soon!” Betty called out helplessly, a strong irritation building up in her chest as the novel’s main villain dragged her away to somewhere he’d probably kill her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">If she hated her life before, she certainly hated it more now.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He hadn’t let go of her arm the entire time they’d traveled. Their final destination had been right at Jughead’s home kingdom, Aspasios. The dark aura of the entire area was deeply underestimated in the novel. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The skies didn’t resemble any type of blue. In his kingdom, dark purples and a deathly black covered the entire sky. Birds cawed above them, swooping over but completely avoiding both her and Jughead. Trees around were completely baron, looking like they’d been burned to a crisp. She ended up here.. the gateway to hell. At this rate,  there was no way she'd be getting out alive. Jughead was going to be the death of her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Rubbing her forehead, she sniffled. What had her life come to?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Leading her further, Jughead caught the attention of a skeleton. The bones were dressed in armor, standing with a sword in hand. Turning its skin-less body towards Jughead, it rushed towards the pair. “Master Jughead! You're already back?"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">For once, Betty gratefully clung to Jughead’s side. The skeleton..was moving.. a skeleton was <em>moving</em>.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From behind her, it seemed a huge army of skeletons gathered behind her. They began calling out with surprise and excitement. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“It’s a living thing!”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“It’s a female human!”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“..a pretty one too!”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>“She’s so cute!”</em> </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Turning his head back to the cluster of skeletons, Jughead’s glare could have sliced through their bones. Yanking her back before the skeletons attempted to touch her, Jughead seethed. Placing his arm around her protectively, he held her tight. “Don't try it! I'm going to make this painfully clear. This woman is <em>mine</em> and mine <em>only</em>! Anyone who dares touch a hair on her head will be sentenced to the eternal torture chambers of hell!” He yelled venomously.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The skeletons froze. It was so silent around the area that one could’ve heard a pin drop. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Wings flapping impatiently, Jughead’s eyes narrowed further. “Have I gotten through your thick skulls?"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Faltering, they began nodding, not trusting their voices.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Opening the door to his quarters, Jughead walked in. He’d finally let go of her arm, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t made it clear she was to be by his side at all times. Noticing that the blonde human was still by the door, he beckoned her inside. “You can come in, you know."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Walking in hesitantly, the healer looked around. His room was grand. Large pillars lined the room, made of dark obsidian and golden patterns along the smooth stone. Before she could observe further, Jughead taking his already ripped shirt and throwing it across the room grabbed her attention. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">How many times was he going to take off his shirt?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once the material was fully off, Betty couldn’t help but notice the red strand connected directly to his chest. It was connected to his heart. “Now, human, it's time for some one-on-one time. You said that you were connected to my heart, and when the owner of the heart dies, you said you were going to die too.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Betty attempted to play it off by awkwardly laughing. “What? That wasn't me. You must be hearing things.."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Violating her personal space, he smirked as he moved his face right above hers. “Is that so, blondie? Humans are so amusing sometimes,” He began to recite her earlier worries at the beginning of the day. <em>“What in the living hell.. Scratch that, if I keep saying that he's actually going to take me there. I can't believe I'm going to my deathbed along with him!” </em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He surprisingly appeared calm as he raised an eyebrow. “Let's stop the fibbing. I think I've caught you here."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Had she been remembering the wrong Jughead? He wasn’t like his character in the novel at all. Stammering, Betty dwindled her fingers at her side. “Y-You're.."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Chuckling, he began making his way closer to her. With every step of his, Betty took a step back. Both continued the pattern until Betty’s back hit the hard surface of one of the walls of his room. Seizing the opportunity, Jughead slid his arm above her head and bent his body down towards hers. “Mind telling me how you know my death date? How did you know I'll be dying soon?"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">It was like the author had written an entirely different Jughead. However, the more Betty thought about it, the more it made sense. Readers had only been able to see the sinister, evil, and murderous side to him. Was this how he usually was when he wasn't overcome by such.. darkness?</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Cat got your tongue? Tell me.” He prompted. His eyes were set intently on her, an unbroken stare that she couldn’t drop. While she shared the stare, she couldn’t help but examine his features. His jaw was set tight, olive skin complimenting the waved curls that fell over his eyes. It didn’t help that he was half-naked, his upper half on full display. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Yes, the cat had stolen her tongue and was holding it captive. One reason being that she was now able to realize just how attractive he was, and another because there was no way she'd be able to tell him that her world was not this one. Her best bet was thinking of an excuse. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The goddesses of fate came to mind. The three goddesses of fate were able to control where solar’s red threads go. That was something he'd believe, for sure.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Not being able to take more of his intense gaze, Betty suddenly babbled out. “I-It’s because we’re woven in the same thread of fate!”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jughead stared at her blankly. “Thread of fate?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Quick to explain, Betty heaved in a breath. “On the night I saved you, the three goddesses of fate tied my fate to yours with a thread. So, if I die, you die too. Which means.. you can’t kill me!” Betty raised her voice towards the last part of her sentence just to make <em>sure</em> he heard the anti-killing part. “If you know what's good for you, you'll take me back to Bardor. Specifically, the temple of Misphia, if you're feeling generous.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Stepping back and removing her from the makeshift physical enclosure he’d put her in, he plopped himself down on his bed, rubbing his hands against each other. Putting a hand on his nightstand, he blindly found his pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. He pulled a lighter from a container next to the packet and quickly lit the cigarette. Bringing it to his lips, he took a long drag. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Since when did cigarettes exist in a fantasy world?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If what you're saying is true, that means we have the same fate,” He took another long puff from the cigarette, blowing out smoke from his mouth. He turned back towards his female companion with a faint smirk. “That just makes you all the more interesting. I’ll keep you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Whatever Betty had been dreaming of had been demolished by his words. Was it that hard for him to just fall for something she said? What was the reason for not keeping her at the Misphia temple anyway?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Watching the smoke go up from his third drag, Jughead licked his lips. “More importantly, your healing is essential to me. As you'd been given the pleasure to see, Jughead Jones' body is not immortal.” Hand grabbing the luminescent blue blade from their earlier encounter, he raised the arm holding the cigarette and ran a large cut from top to bottom.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Eyes widening, Betty couldn’t have looked more anguished. “You really are mentally unstable! You need some serious help! Don't take one more step towards me!” She gasped, too shocked by his actions to run away when he stubbed the cigarette and instead started walking towards her. “There's no way you're going to use me!"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Putting a hand on her shoulder and looking down at her, he squeezed the unblemished skin he found there. “Think about it this way. Doesn't that thread of fate mean that if I die, you'll die along with me? It can’t be one-sided fate,” His signature faint smirk played on his lips. “I mean.. shouldn't you be doing your very best to make sure I'm at my <em>best?"</em></span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The blush from earlier came back to her cheeks, the healer felt herself heat up. Betty didn’t want to heal him. She didn’t know what it meant if she died. Did that mean she returned to her world or would it mean she’d have to restart?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Gripping her wrist, he brought her hand to rest on the arm he’d sliced. Letting out a sigh of satisfaction as the wound healed at the touch of her hand, Jughead continued. “Look, I don't know how much you know about who I am, blondie, but you're dealing with the real deal. I'm the king of Kako, if you haven't already noticed. Being king means I get a lot of enemies just for the sake of my existence. I've fought a lot of battles. That's why my real heart is stashed away where nobody will find it. The heart I have now is artificial. No matter how many times you stab it, it won’t die.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Once she finished healing the gash, Jughead dropped her hand. Swallowing, his eyes set back on hers. “..but, when someone stabs you, there's going to be a wound, and when someone cuts you, there's going to be blood. Other priests are nothing compared to what powers you have.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Uncharacteristically, he raised a hand to gently comb her hair back. “So, human,” He let his fingers weave through the blonde locks. “..you're the Juliet to my Romeo."</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In front of her, he was practically twinkling. He had a smile on his face, oblivious to her inner thoughts. How could he possibly be so contrasting from the novel? On second thought, how could she have been so stupid? He'd seen right through the little act she'd tried to put up.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">There was no way she was getting home if she kept going like this!</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Priest Betty?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From behind them, a red-haired, muscular man was at the door. He had a friendly, bright smile on his face. He was dressed in dark blue robes, his hand stretched out. At his arrival, she could feel Jughead's hand and form visibly stiffen. Dropping his hand, the demon cast his eyes towards the new acquaintance in his room.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The red-haired men took a step closer. “My name’s Archie, Archie Andrews. I’m going to be escorting you to the room selected for you.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Whipping her head towards him, Betty blinked at him. Archie?</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Archie. Elie’s main male interest. He was also Jughead’s loyal colleague and friend. Unfortunately, he also ended up being the one to kill Jughead. After Jughead finished his task of murdering Elie, Jughead went insane. He attempted to murder Archie too, in a fit of jealousy, but Archie had gotten the upper hand and killed him before he’d been able to. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Archie hadn’t even known Jughead had killed Elie until afterward, in which Archie decided to burn Jughead’s body instead of burying it. The action was completely unlike his character, but what was someone supposed to do when your best friend killed the love of your life? </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The problem was, Archie didn’t have much time to live either. He wound up ending himself. He was so in love with Elie that he was willing to sacrifice himself to bring Elie back, but Betty hadn’t been able to finish the book to see if Elie had actually resurrected. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He wasn’t able to confess his love for her either. She remembered crying a <em>ridiculous</em> amount when he died in the novel. She looked like <em>Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer </em>when she left the library.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“We're here. I hope this is okay. Jughead requested the finest guest room for you." Archie had taken her down the hallway, her following behind. He stopped at a large door, extending his arm towards the room and opening the door for her. “I'm sure you had a big journey here. Everything is pretty.. different. I'm also trying to forget that you're pretty illegal. Malachi would be pretty pissed if he knew you were here," He laughed, but it seemed like it was more of a nervous laugh than anything else. "Anyway, rest well." With that said, he gave her a small bow before leaving her.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Archie had always been her favorite in the book. With a light-hearted, charismatic attitude, he'd been a loyal companion the entire length of the book.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wake up, human,” Jughead muttered next to her, arm shakily steadying himself with the support of the couch the healer was currently sleeping peacefully on. “Get up.” He tried again, his voice drained from its usual authority.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Leaning his face close to her ear, his hot breath made its way to her. “Get up, now.” He commanded, her eyes shooting open. She shuddered, chills running up her spine at his tone of voice.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Betty stood up with a start, not facing him. Her eyes were crinkled with sleep and the room was dimly lit. She was unsteady on her feet, stumbling. “W-What? Why did you just barge in-"</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She could hear the sound of ripping material from behind her. “Be qui-quiet. You know why I'm here.” More sounds of torn fabric reached her ears. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You've really lost it. Why do you keep ripping off your clothes all the damn time! It must be like three am!” Betty yelped, closing her eyes even though she still wasn’t facing him. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From behind her, Jughead took a hand and twirled her around towards him. His body was covered in any sort of wound imaginable. There was barely a place on his body that wasn’t bruised, cut, or sliced. His chest protruded red threads, almost covering her entire vision with them. “Use your.. healing.. please.." he coughed, putting a hand on his chest. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Betty slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes becoming small as she looked over him. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Jughead’s eyes were watery, glossy as he caught her eyes. “It hurts.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Don't Disappear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>updating again even tho I’m supposed to be doing school work</p><p>we love procrastination </p><p>thinking about how this is wildly different from my other fics..</p><p>also i think most chaps are gonna be 3,000-5,000 words at most i guess? usually my chapters consist of 6,000 but..</p><p>short note, a girly has nothing else to say.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s2">✦❘</span> <span class="s3">༻༺</span> <span class="s4">❘</span> <span class="s2">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Plucking another strand from his body, Betty irritably glared down at his back. “I swear, nobody can let you out of their sight. Where are you going to get hurt every night like this?” Betty demanded, smoke practically coming out of her ears as she worked. “How are you not dead yet? There was so much blood..”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Laying on his stomach, Jughead tilted his head up to watch her. Not answering her question, the demon spoke in low tones. “Shh, human. Be a good girl and quiet down, or else I might have to sew your mouth shut.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Taking note of his tone of voice, Betty smoothed a hand over her makeshift ponytail. Something told her that he wasn’t exactly joking about his empty threat. Trying to think up a way of avoiding it, she began babbling. “I’m just a little worried about you. I mean if you’re going to wake me up at ungodly hours of the night covered in blood, I have a right, don’t I?”</span>
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  <span class="s1">While she worked, the healer could feel the vibrations of an inaudible chuckle come from him. He lay still for a second before he began speaking. His voice had lost the hoarse undertones it had before. “I’ve been wondering, Juliet.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Was that supposed to be some cliffhanger? If she was being honest, she didn’t want to ask about what was going on in his mind, but she didn’t have a choice. “What might that be?”</span>
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  <span class="s1">He could feel her hands rubbing smoothly across his back. “I’ve been wondering why.. that night, you decided to heal me. Considering how you’ve been treating me as if kindness was an option, you didn’t know I was a king. You must have thought I was some stranger, which is an insult to my pride, mind you.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Jughead continued after a moment, folding his arms over his chest and propping up the upper half of his body. His voice took a more solemn note. “You should have just kept going. If you wouldn’t have stopped, the goddess would have never tied you to my fate. Besides, now that I know you’re here, it might cause problems. People talk. Which means, sooner or later, a little bird is going to tell Kalos about this.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Betty had been in this world for four months. It was both a shock that Kalos hadn’t found out about her presence in Kako due to her popularity and another that Jughead just couldn’t seem to grasp she was a <em>healer.</em> How was she supposed to walk away from a hurting body? “I have these abilities for a reason. Walking away from you would have been inhumane.” </span>
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  <span class="s1">Starting to get up, the Kako king grabbed a robe from the arm of a couch. Moving his arms into the sleeves, he cast his eyes back to the former journalist. “That’s not what I meant. I mean that you don’t get anything in return when you heal others. Maybe an extra block to your superiority complex, but that’s probably it.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">If anyone had the superiority complex around here, it would be him.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Shrugging the robe more tightly against his shoulders, he turned away from her. “What if I ended up killing you.. one day?” It was almost like the question wasn’t directed towards her, but more towards himself.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Picking herself up from the couch and instead of looking over his shoulder as he began to light a cigarette, she arched a brow. “Is Jughead Jones, King of Kako, worried for a human?” She asked, blonde hair bobbing behind her as she spoke.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Glancing back, the faint smirk was present on his face. “No. I’m just surprised, is all,” Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he breathed the harmful chemicals in with satisfaction. Watching her reaction to his response, which was a small glare, he felt his stomach do a flip. This human never regarded him as if he was a king. It was like she saw him as a regular commoner. “You’re not scared of me.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">It would be impossible not to be frightened of someone who was a villain, especially someone who was supposed to kill you ultimately, but if she was really scared, would she be acting this way? Shrugging, she nodded. “You’re not very scary.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Jughead had not expected the response she’d given him. He narrowed his eyes, cigarette hanging from his lips as he stilled. Suddenly getting up, he knocked over the pack of cigarettes as he opened the door to her bedroom and left, slamming the door behind him.</span>
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  <span class="s1">The entire ordeal had happened so fast that Betty didn’t react until a second later. Eyes watching the closed mahogany door in front of her, she blinked. She hadn’t even finished healing him. Had she sad something wrong? He’d already stated the obvious.</span>
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</p><p class="p4"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s5">✦❘</span> <span class="s6">༻༺</span> <span class="s7">❘</span> <span class="s5">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p3">
  
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  <span class="s1">“My lord, Kalo’s soldiers have recently been getting stronger. Their defense lines and patrols against the borders are tighter. We haven’t been able to figure out why, though. We don’t know of any impending attacks on Kalos.” </span>
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  <span class="s1">Leaning his head against the palm of his hand, Jughead moved more comfortably on the velvet couch he sat upon. Looking at his commander, Chuck Clayton, he waited for a continuation. Clearing his throat, the commander continued. “Lord Malachi also seems to be in some type of hiding or something to that effect. There have not been any sightings of him by our spies. Yet something else we have no knowledge about.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Sitting on the stairs below, Betty watched their conversation with interest. This was another sign that the plot was changing. In the novel, this conversation had been about the temple of death, which they’d currently been in.</span>
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  <span class="s1">From what she’d heard, Malachi was an angel. He had been described as a secretive ruler. Nobody ever knew what he was really doing. He’d never directly attacked Kako, but he never pledged peace either. Bret, his companion, was just as sketchy. His arrogance was a popular topic when it came to Kalos.</span>
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  <span class="s1">She remembered from the book that Jughead was tasked with finding souls. When he does this, he always ends up getting hurt. He needs souls for his army, which he seems to be preparing, but why? Whatever the reason, her body was on low battery from consistently healing him.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Letting out a long sigh, Jughead nodded. “Alright. I suppose I’ll go out for souls, tonight, too. I don’t have a choice do I?” </span>
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  <span class="s1">Chuck looked hesitant to respond, but he matched his nod. “Yes, Lord. We need to match Malachi’s strength in his line. Whatever he’s preparing for, we will too.” </span>
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  <span class="s1">Betty suddenly popped up, running to stand in the middle of them. “No!” She yelled out before she slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else. She regretted her outburst instantly. Why did she always react this way?</span>
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  <span class="s1">Starting to skip over to Jughead, she made her way behind him and lightly pet his head. He looked up at her with remote embarrassment at her actions. She didn’t know what she was saying or doing. “I don’t think he should go out tonight. His wounds from yesterday are still healing. Besides, look at his body,” She moved one of her hands to massage his shoulders. “He’s stiff. On the outside, he looks just fine, but on the inside, he’s actually unhealthy.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Putting a hand behind his head and looking at her with confusion, Jughead watched as she tended to threads that were invisible to him. “So, tell me the real reason why you decided to throw a tantrum in front of my commander. Isn’t it better if I’m gone? You make it <em>painfully</em> clear every day how much you don’t like my presence.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Not looking at him, she continued working. “If you leave, you’re going to get hurt and don’t try lying to me. I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Eyelashes fluttering, she gently pulled at a particularly stubborn thread. “I know you’re a god, a demon, whatever. Just because you are one doesn’t mean you can’t feel it.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">All the while she was talking, Jughead stared at her face. The way her eyebrows creased, and when wrinkle formed at the top of her head when she had trouble with something. The way her lips moved when she spoke. After another moment, he moved away from her touch and picked himself up.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Without another word, he started to leave her bedroom.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Vexed, she watched his fleeting back. “Are you serious? Anything I say sets you off! I’m not even done!” She called after him, but when the door closed behind him, she knew he wasn’t going to come back.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Putting one hand on her hip, she took her hair out of the ponytail she’d fixed it into and shook her head to ease the tension. His body might’ve been fine with all the wounds he was receiving, but hers was not the same. Every time she healed him she felt like her body was draining itself.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Flopping down onto the couch he’d once been laying on, she let out a deep breath. What she would give to be doing her boring journalist work instead of dealing with a short-tempered demon king. </span>
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  <span class="s1">Looking down at the red thread persistently connected to her wrist, she watched the thread intently as it lay limp. Lately, when she’d been treating him, she’d been rubbing his heart to try and see if the thread would disappear, but nothing worked..</span>
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  <span class="s1">Shooting up, it was like someone lit a light bulb in her head. She was beyond stupid. Of course, rubbing his heart wouldn’t work, because the heart inside him was fake. Jughead had told her that his real heart was kept somewhere. That meant that if she wanted to get rid of the thread, she’d have to find his real heart somehow. </span>
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  <span class="s1">In order to break free, all she’d have to do is find his real heart, but where exactly was it? She wasn’t sure, but she knew one thing. If she wanted to go scouting, she’d have to at night. That way, when Jughead was off doing business, he wouldn’t come looking for her.</span>
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</p><p class="p4"><span class="s1">━━</span> <span class="s5">✦❘</span> <span class="s6">༻༺</span> <span class="s7">❘</span> <span class="s5">✦</span> <span class="s1">━━</span></p><p class="p3">
  
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  <span class="s1">Nightfall was just as frightening as she imagined. The dark purple skies and nature around the kingdom did nothing to help her fear. She wondered how people consistently lived here and thought this was normal.</span>
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  <span class="s1">When she’d bolted to her room to begin planning, she’d ultimately settled on the fact that Jughead had most likely hidden his fake heart in his own temple of death. The Reaper harvested souls, so was it that big of a stretch for his heart to be here too?</span>
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  <span class="s1">Slipping through the slit in the door, she began making her way inside. She didn’t know if there were some type of secret door she needed to find, but she’d spend the night looking thoroughly. Her first course of action was to search his room for any hints.</span>
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  <span class="s1">After a couple of minutes of looking around, she stood in front of his door. Without a moment’s hesitation, she opened the door slowly. It made an obnoxious creak as it opened, the darkroom illuminating from the moonlight behind her.</span>
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  <span class="s1">She could see someone sprawled out on the bed, and the more she allowed the light to seep in, the more she recognized the figure. </span>
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  <span class="s1">Wings helplessly flapping as he tried to sit up, he clutched his chest. Jughead’s hands were covered in blood, his robes underneath dyed a permanent red. Blood leaked from his head, droplets rolling down to his chest. He was coughing loudly, heaving in breaths.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Falling to her knees, she grasped his arm first and attempted to pull him up. “Jughead! Can you hear me? Can you still stand?” She asked, panic etching her voice as she started to tug him up.</span>
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  <span class="s1">His voice was small as he coughed. “..s-sorry.” His hand reached out, taking a hold of the wrist that was wrapped around his arm. Holding it like a lifeline, his eyes resumed the watery consistency they’d had last night. “I got hurt again.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Jughead swallowed back his pride, sneaking a peek up above to the healer. “I’m sorry,” He choked out, almost as if the process of speaking itself was weighing down on him. The demon dropped his gaze, looking back down at his tattered clothes. “I-I didn’t mean to.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Leaning up to meet her, his other hand came to her shoulder. “Ple-Please.. it hurts.” He pleaded, wings steadily disappearing as he started to gain back some of his bearings.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Wrist gently shaking off his weakened hand, she put either of her hands on his shoulders and gingerly pushed him down. “It’s okay. I need you to lay down so I can work to my full capacity, alright?”</span>
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  <span class="s1">He allowed her to lower him back down, and when she did so, the more she could see the red threads connected to him. How did he manage to continue living when he didn’t have a priest around? In the novel, they’d never mentioned how many nights Jughead spent wounding himself over and over again. His body was a mess.</span>
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  <span class="s1">The thing she’d come for would have to be saved for another time. The last thing she needed to ask for was where his real heart was. Now, all she needed to focus on was nursing him back to health.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Even so, it didn’t mean the pain wasn’t equally as painful to her, but she couldn’t let someone else endure the pain she could erase. </span>
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  <span class="s1">..even if it meant sacrificing her own wellbeing.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Using a cloth to finish cleaning up the last of the blood on his body, she dipped it back into the water bowl she’d collected on his nightstand. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she let out a long breath. He’d been in tatters, but she’d managed.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Taking a dark blue sheet from the bottom of the bed, she moved it over his body and covered the exposed half of his upper body. “All the exterior has been treated. Tomorrow, I’ll continue on the interior. Don’t worry. Sleep well.” She wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or not by the way his eyes were closed, but she didn’t mind.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Starting to get up, she felt the familiar feeling of a hand grasping her wrist. Holding it more tightly than he had before, Jughead kept her in that position. “Don’t leave me.” He whispered, index finger rubbing circles over her skin.</span>
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  <span class="s1">The action caught her off-guard, her head whipping around to see exhausted eyes looking back at her. His face was tense, along with his body, and he looked guilty. Sputtering, she blinked at him. “I don’t..”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Before she could say anything else, Jughead’s voice interrupted her. “Please..”</span>
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  <span class="s1">His voice was making every ounce of resistance wilt away. Putting both her knees on the bed, she scooped up into her arms and hugged him close to her body. “Alright. I’ll stay.” She knew her words were short and simple, but she wasn’t sure what else she was supposed to say. The situation now reminded her of when they’d first met, back when she’d found him in the forest for the first time.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Letting go of him, she looked around the room. If she was going to stay the night, she needed to find somewhere where she’d be able to sleep. She was thinking maybe the couch in his room, but the chair over there didn’t seem like too bad of an idea..</span>
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  <span class="s1">The hand that’d grasped her wrist hadn’t let go, and he used it to his advantage. Pulling her to him, she fell back onto the bed next to him. “Where are you going, human?” One of his arms wrapped around her left side while the other one encircled her. Pressing her against his chest, he scooted her up so that her head could rest on the pillow above. She could feel him relax next to her. "Mine." He whispered against the skin of her neck.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Did he just go around <em>forcing</em> people to stay with him? This was the second time he’s done this to her. Yet, this time, she wasn’t already devising a plan to get away from him, but she was still equally as annoyed. She’d started as his personal nurse, and now he was using her like a teddy bear?</span>
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  <span class="s1">Jughead..</span>
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  <span class="s1">The people he kept closest were all deceased. He’d had a sister, named JB, but she’d died due to a deathly illness that wiped out many monsters. Though Jughead didn’t know it, the disease had been from Kalos. Malachi had sent a disease to spread through Kako to weaken them, but his plan to invade had never happened. </span>
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  <span class="s1">His parents had died at the hands of Malachi’s father, James. James hadn’t hesitated to kill FP when he’d gotten the chance, and when he got ahold of Gladys, he forced her to be his wife until he became bored. Instead of killing her himself, he tied her to an anchor and dropped her into the ocean. She remembered thinking how gruesome it’d been for James to do that.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Angels were always portrayed as loving, cheerful beings, but that wasn’t the case. James was quite the opposite. He was everything you’d envisioned a demon to be, but worse. He put on a front, though, of what an angel was supposed to be like, but behind closed doors, he was a different person. How was his son like, then?</span>
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  <span class="s1">Jughead had craved immortality from Elie because she’d been the only one who could give it to him. She herself was immortal, except for her Achilles’ heel, which was a specific vein in her neck. </span>
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  <span class="s1">Sitting up, her eyes widened. Could it be that she was immortal too? Did she have a spot on her neck that could kill her? Subconsciously, her finger rubbed at the side of her neck with mild panic.</span>
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  <span class="s1">Opening his eyes, Jughead grabbed the sleeve of her shirt. “Human.. why..” He looked confused as to why she’d gotten up, almost looking as if he was hurt by it. “Don’t leave,” He repeated from before, fingers tightly weaving into the material of her shirt. His eyes were struggling to stay open. “Don’t.. disappear.”</span>
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  <span class="s1">Using one of her hands, she felt his forehead and found it was boiling. He felt like the sun on flesh. “I’m not going to leave you. I’ll go get you something to calm down your temperature, okay?”</span>
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  <span class="s1">His hand moved from her shirt to her hand that was on his forehead, which he began rubbing. The lord’s eyes caught hers, creating an everlasting gaze. “I.. won’t get hurt anymore, so stay with me.”</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">They stared looking at each other for an endless amount of time before Betty moved to lay down next to him, watching as his eyes closed once again. “I’ll be here. Just.. hang in there. I swear, I’ll figure this all out, and someone will come instead of me.” If she could swap places with someone and get back to Riverdale, they'd handle this much better than she. </span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Just until then, she wouldn’t leave him.</span>
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  
</p><p class="p3">
  <span class="s1">Whispering, her voice was barely audible. “I’ll stay.”</span>
</p>
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